Hydrocarbon turbine engine



Sept. 11, 1928.

atroz van* 2 Sheets-Sheet +5 w. G. SIMPSON HYDROCARBON TURBINE ENGINE 'Filed Nov.'e, 1924 Alm .Illa lm.

Sept. 11, 1928.

. line-6 6 of Figure 4,

Patented Sept. 11, `1928.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM G'. SIMPSON, OF FERNDALE, MICHIGAN.

. nYnnocAnBoN TURBINE ENGINE.

Application led November 8, 1924. Serial No. 748,740.

This invention relates toengines, and more vparticularly to hydrocarbon turbine englnes.

An object of the invention is to provlde an engine in which the kinetic energy of gas under pressure is utilized at high velocity 1n a series of turbines for the purpose of propelling a vehicle or the like.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a plan view,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion 0f the gear shifting mechanism,

Figure 4 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view, i

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view on Figure 7 is a vertical of the turbines, and,

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of the reverse turbine on line 8 8 of Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates generally the engine casing. A bearlng plate 2 is arranged -at sectional view of one each end of the engine casing andl is provided with main bearings 3 for the reception ofthe main shaft 4. Centrally of the casing,

- the cam is I provide a stationary bushing 5 supported in a bearin 6 and adapted to receive arevolving bus ing 7 carried by the main shaft. Within the casing, I provide a storage or equalizing chamber 8, separated from the top o the casing by a water jacket 9 and this casing is provided with an inlet opening closed by a valve 10. A cylinder 11 is arranged adjacent the chamber and a piston 12 is mounted in this cylinder. The piston is provided with a piston rod 13 having a roller 14 on. its lower'end adapted to be received in a groove 15 of Fa cam 16 which is ,keyed to the main shaft, as at 17. As shown,

rovided with a concentric portion 18. T e cylinder is connected to a carburetor 19 through a manifold 20 and is provided with an 1nlet port 21 having a valve 22 arran ed therein. The cylinder is further provi ed with an outlet opening normally closed bya valve 23 and communieating with a port or passage 24 extending Ato the inlet opening of the chamber 8. The

valves are adapted to be actuated by cams in the usual manner. As shown, a cam shaft v 25 is arranged beneath the valves and is providedv with a plurality of cams 26 adapted t0 raise the valvestems 27 to open the valves against the tension of springs 28. The cam shaft is driven from the main shaft by suitable gearing 29, shown in dotted lines in Figure 5 of the drawings.

The engine is provided with a hand starter gear 30 mounted on a suitable shaft 31 supported in the front plate 2 of the engine and adapted to mesh with a spur gear 32 carried by the main shaft. The main shaft is formed in two sections and these two sections are adapted to be connected by a tongue vconnected to the main shaft-by means of keys which` may be disconnected when desired. As shown, a portion ofthe main shaft is ,hollow and is adapted to receive a selector pilot 38 having a plurality of selector pilot keys 39, 40 and 41, respectively. The ilot isconnected to a gear selector rod 42 w ich extends through the shaft and is provided with a clevis 43 on its outer end. The keys are adapted to be received in rooves 44 on the worm wheels and project tzlirough a slot 45 in the main shaft. f

The worm wheels 35, 36 and 37 mesh with worms 46, 47, and'48 respectively,lcarried by'shafts 49 which are mounted in suitable bearings in the side walls of the engine casing and are provided with squared portions 51 .projecting therefrom (see Figure 5).

-Adjacent each of the projecting portions of the vshafts 49, I provide a turbine Casin 52 having a shaft 53 arranged therein an the shaft is provided with a squared socket 54 on one end adapted to receive a squared Aend 51 of the worm shaft. As shown, the

- (not shown) scavenging the cylinder.

shaped and the rings 57. areprovided with similar ports or passages 60.

The equalizing chamber is provided with outlet pipes 6l connected to the top of each turbine casing, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, and having suitable control valves 62 arranged therein. Within the turbine casing, there is provided a chamber 64 for the reception of the gases from the feed pipes 6l and at the periphery of the turbine casing, I provide an exhaust chamber 63 from which the gases are delivered to suitable exhaust pipes 65 at the bottom of the casing, and thence to a muffler 66.

The cylinder 11 is lprovided with a spark plug 67 connected to a source of power (not shown) by a lead wire 68.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The engine is started by a hand crank through the provision of the gears 30 and 32 drawing-a charge of gasinto the cylinder Il through the valve 22, which is opened by the cam 26. This gas iscompressed and the spark plug 67 is timed to lire while the piston is held stationary by the concentric portion 18 of the cam. Immediately after the explosion of the charge, the valves and 23 open, permitting the exploded gas to enter the chamber 8; The cylinder is then opened to the atmosphereby a valve piston then draws in a new chargey by the opening of the inlet valve and the operation repeated. After the initial explosion, the valve 62 ofthe high gear turbine is opened and the key 39 arranged in the groove 44 of the worm wheel to connect the turbine to the main shaft. The pressure of the gas in the chamber 8 is then employed to drive the turbine. The clutch 34 may then be connected to drive the vehicle, or other machinery. 'Ihe vehicle is driven in low gear by moving the pilot 38 inwardly to place The the key 40 in the groove of the gear 36 and is similarly driven in reverse gear by connecting the low gear pinion 37 to the main shaft by means of the key 41. When any one of the sets of turbines is thus connected to the engine, the corresponding valves 62 are opened .and the remaining valves 62 closed. The reverse movement is obtained by cutting the slots 59 and 60 in a reverse i direction, as shown in Figure 8 of the drawings, to revolve the reverse turbines in a counter-clockwise direction. The operation of the turbines will be apparent. The gas enters at the center and follows the zigzag path to the periphery, thus causing the rings and the rotor 58 to revolve. From the periphery, thegases are collected in the space 64 and conveyed to the outlet pipe 65.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes yin the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim. A

I claim:

In the device of the character described, a main shaft, a cylinder arranged adjacent said shaft, a piston mounted in said cylinder and operatively connected to said shaft, a plurality of gears loosely mounted on said main shaft, auxiliary shafts carrying worm wheels meshing with said gears and adapted to drive said gears, means for connecting the desired one of said gears to said main shaft, a tank adapted to receive gases from said cylinder, and turbines mounted on said auxiliary shafts, said turbines being adapted to be connected to said tank to receive gases therefrom.

WILLIAM er.l SIMPSON. 

